Developer’s Description: The IMAGINE Checklist App is an informal assessment of more than 60 specific social cognition skills following our IMAGINE framework of social development. This includes: Initiating interactions, Maintaining interactions, Advocating and negotiating, Getting regulated, Interpreting nonverbal language, Negotiating space and Experiencing humor. Created collaboratively by speech pathologists and occupational therapists, this tool allows for educators to look more thoroughly at social skills to best determine where a breakdown is occurring. Data collection is provided within the app to track progress. Additionally, a customizable comprehensive report can be generated to print and/or email to team members, an easy and efficient way to communicate with parents. Used successfully by the developers for years, this tool is a must have for individuals working with children. The app pairs well with the Social Adventures App, a treasure trove of tried and true intervention activities organized by the same IMAGINE frame.

App Review

The IMAGINE Checklist app is a comprehensive, rubric style checklist that can be used as a standalone app or as a companion app to the Social Adventures app from all4mychild. It provides a functional assessment of a child’s social development in seven different areas.

Opening Screenshot

Let’s take a tour of the features of this checklist app:

Choosing “Get Started” opens a new screen that allows you to enter student names and review any saved checklists.

Choosing “Developmental Norms” opens a screen with links to scholarly documents in the areas of motor, cognitive and social-emotional development. The purpose of the articles is to provide supplemental information in these areas of development. The links open to articles on the internet but unless you are a subscriber or pay for each document, you can only view 20% of the entire article (extract). As I am not a subscriber, I did not find this feature to be useful in its current format.

“About this App” provides background information on the social skill areas that are assessed and how the checklist was developed.

The “Settings” button takes you to the screen where you enter your personal data, phone number, email address and signature. Except for personal data, you can choose whether or not you want the other information included on the report. These choices seemed to revert back to a default “on” position after exiting and returning at a later time. There is also information about all4mychild, a link to their website and information regarding their other apps.

The user can access the checklist after choosing the “Get Started” button. This is the screenshot above that shows the list of students and checklists. Once you choose or add a new checklist the screen below opens. The checklist covers seven dimensions of social skill development and in total there are 60 different social skills that can be rated in terms of the degree of independence observed. IMAGINE is a clever acronym to include the below listed areas of social development:

Choosing a skill area opens a rubric style chart that the user can easily enter how developed or independent the student is in the skills listed down the left side of the chart. A rating scale of 1 (needs significant adult support) – 5 (independent). There is a column for recording not addressed/observed and one for adding notes.

Each area of social development can be accessed and scored from within this section. There is a menu tab at the bottom of the screen that allows you to view your report, save and generate a report or save your work as you move through the checklist. Once you have completed the checklists and are ready to generate your report, choosing that button opens up a screen that allow for customization of the report by providing boxes to type in Background and Referral Information, Summary of Assessment/Progress and Treatment Goals/Objectives.

The PDF tab at the bottom of the above screenshot provides buttons for generating a PDF and for saving your work for later completion. The finished report is detailed and very professional. Once you generate the PDF, you can choose to print and/or email it.

Things I like about this app:

The app is quick and easy to understand and use. It provides functional information that can be used for assessment as well as to track a child’s progress.

The rubric format of the checklist is very easy to understand and can be used across disciplines.

The report that is provided is very comprehensive and can be customized to reflect the individual’s needs and progress. It provides a standard format for consistency in reporting and tracking.

The checklist can be used as standalone app or in conjunction with the Social Adventures app.

Things I would like to see:

I would like to see the “notes” column be expanded so that you can add more detailed information. I found that there was only enough space for a few words. In addition, my notes did not appear to be saved when I reopened the checklist after I had saved and exited the app.

The settings for phone number, email and signature appear to revert to a default of “on” when you exit the app. It would be helpful if it saved the settings that you had chosen.

Although the 1 – 5 scale seemed clear to me, it might be helpful for parents etc. who are reading the report to have an explanation of the scoring. For example, 2 = requires frequent help or prompting from an adult or 75% of the time.

It would be helpful to have access to full articles or resources on motor, cognitive and social-emotional development. Perhaps these resources could be developed and posted on the all4mychild website.

Overall Impressions:

I really like this app and would definitely use it for assessing and tracking the social development of the children that I work with. It makes it much easier to assess and track progress as well as save time in providing a report for parents and/or teachers. It is aligned with the Social Adventures app and together, these apps provide comprehensive tools for working with children who need help with their social development.

For more information about all4mychild:

Giveaway:

all4mychild has generously provided 2 codes for the IMAGINE app. Enter the Rafflecopter below for your chance to win a copy!a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dollar Up is half price for the month of April to celebrate Autism Acceptance Month

Description (as per iTunes)

Looking for an app to teach or reinforce how to use money in real life situations? Dollar Up is the perfect app for children learning to handle money, kids, teens and adults with developmental disabilities as well as for therapists who work with stroke survivors, those in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, and more. Dollar Up was designed by teachers and therapists as a way for people to practice working out how much money they have, if they have enough to purchase the items they need and how much money to give a cashier, all without requiring them to count change. The app’s goal is to help children, teens and adults to acquire or maintain a life skill they need in order to foster independence.

The app currently supports the following currencies: • Australian dollar • Canadian dollar • U.S. dollar • British Pound • Euro • New Zealand dollar

In addition to teaching the ‘Dollar Up’ technique, seven games provide the user with practice using it in the following situations: • Identifying notes and coins • How much to pay when shown a price total • How much to pay when told a price total • Checking how much money they have • Working out how much money to hand over • Paying for items • Calculating if they have enough money to pay for items

For those who plan to use Dollar Up in an educational or therapeutic context, we have included many desirable features in the app including: • Support for multiple students or clients • The ability to customize the app to suit each user’s needs • Data tracking, including reports that can be shared via email • For children (or adults!) who want or need a fun break there are two mini games included in the app • Support for students who’s vision is impaired, through the use of high contrast backgrounds (selectable for each student). All aspects of Dollar Up have been designed to make it as accessible as possible and initial feedback from parents, teachers and therapists has been extremely positive.

As I am not involved in education, I never heard of the ‘Next Dollar Up’ method for teaching money skills to students who have intellectual disability, but it makes a lot of sense. The aim is to teach the student to listen for the whole dollar amount, then give one dollar more than that amount. By learning this method, the student gains independence in their money handling and are less likely to be taken advantage of.

Dollar Up Covers 7 Lesson Plans:-

Identifying whole dollar coins and notes

Reading a price and finding $1 more

Listening to a price and giving $1 more

Counting notes and coins on the screen

Giving a requested amount

Giving the amount applicable for a grocery item

Comparing a price amount to money available

This app is a perfect tool in the classroom, as it is capable of configuring options for multiple students.

The simple, uncluttered interface makes it easy to use. Once an audio instruction is given, it can be repeated by pressing the ear icon.

Currencies from the following countries: Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and European Union

When lessons are complete, the student has the option of playing ‘Balloon Pop’ or ‘Coin Catch’. This is a great way of keeping the student interested and focused.

Dollar Up is an educational app, which helps to build confidence in handling money, which is an important life skill. You have the ability to view and email reports of the students progress in the lessons, so this makes it a great tool for teachers and therapists. I like the ability to individualize each profile user, e.g. change background colour, use different currency, and my favourite feature is the ability to use your own photos to edit the grocery list. You can add and/or delete items in the shopping basket, as well as change the price.

Dollar Up is a magnificent app to teach or reinforce how to use money in real life situations. Highly recommended!

Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Description (as per iTunes)

* A Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner
*App Circus Online Competition Winner.
*Digital Book World Award 2014 finalist, and recipient of their Quality Excellence Design seal.
*Recommended by National Science Teachers Association and praised by School Library Journal.
*Teachers With Apps Certified App Badge of Approval.
*Picked as Editor’s Choice at Best Apps for Kids.

Almost 5,000 downloads in its first week out. Reached #10 in the US App Store ‘apps for ages 6 to 8′ category, and #14 in the Books category (only 5 days after it was released!). Ranked top 25 in 48 countries.

A creative tinkerer, Axel Jansen struggles to connect with his classmates and get them to see past the fidgety, distracted, clumsy boy they think he is. Inspired by the work of Kinetic artists, the third-grader decides to build a moving insect to show everyone at school what he’s capable of.

Axel’s own traits means he’ll need a large dose of perseverance in order make a moving sculpture he’s proud of: a swinging, vibrating, tinkling work of art. But his personal bully Daniel sets off a disastrous chain reaction that leaves everyone yelling at each other!

Axel believes he can help by creating a beautiful sensory experience out of this mess —if they give him the chance…

BOOK APP FEATURES:

* ALLOWS FOR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF READER IMMERSION: Explore pages to discover extra dialogues, thoughts, or details of Axel’s creation process. Or skip them if you’re anxious to find out what happens next, and then read the story again if you want to know more.

* SOME OF YOUR INTERACTIONS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE THE STORY PROGRESS: Open Axel’s glued fingers so he can continue working, rub the splashes of paint clean, knock on the classroom door to see Axel’s giant artwork. If you don’t, you won’t see what happens next! (Hints provided).

* PLAY A CREATION MINI-GAME INSIDE THE STORY: make your own animals using objects from Axel’s kitchen.

* HEY, YOU’RE THERE… AT THE END OF THE STORY!

*OPTIONAL SETTINGS: Turn off sound effects and/ or Narration.

*EXTRAS:

- HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES: Step-by-step instructions to make kinetic sculptures at home or school, for different levels of ability.

- BIOGRAPHIES of the 3 kinetic artists featured in the story.

- GLOSSARY

- 3D OPEN-ENDED GAME: Coming up! Domino Effect creation game.

Story by: Allison Pomenta, member of Moms with Apps “Know What’s Inside” Program, and of the Book App Alliance. Illustrated by Mónica Armiño. Development by: Cubic Jigsaw (a division of Higuera Studios).

Privacy Policy: We do not collect any personal information from users. There are no ads and no links to social media. If your family or students wish to learn more about the Kinetic artists featured in the app, adults must type the answers to math questions in order to activate weblinks.

The author lets us know that this story has a message of hope for special kids:
that they will be able to make friends (sooner or
later), and that the story is a good conversation-starter about things
like perseverance, planning skills vs. impulsiveness, and lateral thinking
(being flexible and finding a way to change a situation, in spite of
frustration).

Axel’s Chain Reaction a story about celebrating differences and giving everyone a chance to show their hidden talents. The main character is a boy with special needs, striving to make a kinetic sculpture to show everyone what he is capable of. It has additional educational content and hands-on activities to make at home/school.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this storybook app. There were important lessons to be learnt, like never give up trying, by persevering you will achieve your goal. Also, it is right to say ‘NO’ to bullying. There were many struggles for Axel to overcome, but with his determination, hard work and the will to achieve, he succeeds and reaps the rewards. The app is cleverly designed, with magnificent artwork, creative presentations and pleasant musical backgrounds. It’s no surprise Axel’s Chain Reaction has won so many awards, well deserved!

10 fingers offers children an intuitive game so they can become familiar with numbers and numerals. Children can also begin having fun with addition.

This innovative app uses the multi-touch feature on the iPad screen. When the child puts 3 fingers onto the screen, the digit “3” displays, and the word “three” is pronounced.

This app is designed for children from 3 to 6 years old. Younger children may enjoy 10 fingers once they start counting “1, 2, 3”.

“Free” mode lets children explore at their own pace: What if I put all my fingers on the screen? What about two fingers from each hand? “Challenge” mode asks the child question, which must be answered by placing the right number of fingers onto the screen.

The app is inspired by Montessori pedagogy by promoting the acquisition of abstract concepts using concrete manipulation. A wooden number toy that interacts with the iPad can be used to play with the app and stimulate the child’s senses even further!

This app has no in-app purchases. A Parent’s Corner provides some helpful information.

10 Fingers is a wonderful app to help toddlers learn to count to 10. Along with numeracy skills, fine motor skills are put to the test as the child must place their fingers on the screen to interact with the app.

There are a choice of 9 languages, and three play options:

Discover Objects (Free Mode) – where a child explores at their own pace

Discover Digits (Challenge Mode) – where the child must respond to a question

Discover Addition – basic adding skills

There is also a Wooden Toy which interacts with the app. Although I did not have the pleasure of using the wooden toy, I think it is a great option. Details can be found on Marbotic web page www.marbotic.fr/materiel

I found 10 Fingers to be a very educational and rewarding app. It entertains children 3 – 6 years and offers a variety of activities. A fun educational experience!

Do you remember the thrill of walking through a carnival on a summer evening as a kid? I do! The draw of the smells, sounds and lights was almost more than I could stand. Virtual Speech Center is trying to recreate this experience in your speech room with the release of their new app Articulation Carnival Pro. This app works on practicing production of ALL of the speech phonemes at the word, phrase and sentence levels.

Set up is similar to the other apps in the Virtual Speech Center family. It is done by tapping on “Start” on the main screen and then the green “Add Student” button. A dialogue box appears that requires you to enter the student’s name and tap on “Save”. You will then be prompted to select the appropriate student(s) from the student list. Phoneme lists can be edited to meet individual user needs. After the student(s) have been selected, it is necessary to tap “Next” in the upper right hand corner. Then you will be prompted to select the phoneme(s) that will be the focus for each user. There are four thousand eight hundred different stimuli present in the app.

Students are presented with an image that contains the targeted phoneme. Users can easily toggle to different positions in the word and whether the phoneme is in words, phrases or sentences by spinning the wheels on the left hand side of the image. This is also how you can toggle between the multiple users accessing the app in one therapy session. Located on the right hand side of the image, you will find a record and playback feature to assist the user and therapist with data collection. Data collection is also located on the right hand edge of the screen and items can be scored as correct, incorrect or an approximation. Underneath each image you have access to the image count from the library and a playback button for the user to tap if they need it repeated.

As the student’s responses are scored each correct response earns a balloon. After a preselected number of correct responses (1 to 10) the students earn time at the carnival. The Virtual Speech Midway is jammed packed full of fun. First stop is at the duck pond for a chance to “Spray Ducks” with the water cannon. Prizes can be earned after hitting a predetermined number of ducks (1, 20, 30, 40). Next stop on the midway is at “Basketball Hoop Shoot”. Users are expected to shoot as many free throws as they can in the amount of time (10-50 seconds) they are given. The third stop at the carnival is at the “Balloon Darts” booth. Here participants are expected to toss darts at the balloons attached to the rotating dartboard. Each round consists of five darts. Users are able to earn prizes after anywhere from one to five balloons that have been popped. If you have any strength left over after visiting the three other carnival booths, step right up to the “Strength Hammer” and see if you can ring the bell.

When your session is complete you can access a session report that lists the student’s name, phoneme, level, position, score, and percentage correct. You also have access to a list of words presented to the users, audio recordings, and any notes you took during the session. A more comprehensive report is available by tapping on “Reports” on the main screen. You will need to select the user and the skill for which you want data. Then you are able to view the data by goal or date. All reports can be emailed.

Some customization is available by accessing the “Settings” features. It is located in the upper left hand corner of the screen displaying the picture cards. These features are:

My students LOVE this app! They are motivated to work hard during the drill portion of the app so they can participate in the carnival games. This app is truly a hit with all age groups! Don’t let the $36.99 price tag scare you off. Down load the lite version and buy individual phonemes for $2.99 each as you need them. This one is too good to miss out on.

What I Like About This App

+add additional photos and audio recording +enter multiple students +select multiple phonemes for each student +save selected phonemes for next sessions +select alternate counts for multiple students +enable or disable written picture descriptions +audio recording feature +track correct, approximate and incorrect responses +view reports in table and graphical forms +e-mail results at the end of the game +add notes during sessions +save audio recordings from sessions +show or hide score during session +enable or disable games as rewards +configure rewards for each game +enable or disable game background music

What I Would Like to See In Future Updates

+add a little more to the “Strength Hammer” game at the carnival. It was a let down to my students after the three other games. +When you update the app in the future consider adding additional carnival games (examples: ring toss, football toss thru a tire, toss a baseball at milk bottles) to keep the game fresh and new to the users.

We have two copies of Articulation Carnival Pro to give away. Please enter via the Rafflecopter below.

Support For Sentence Workout and All Virtual Speech Center Apps Can Be Found At

Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

“The Developmental Garden was developed out of the passion to help children succeed in becoming all that they can be. This means that parents, teachers, and therapists need as many resources and tools as they can get to meet the specific needs of each child that they are helping. It is the ultimate goal of this company to create games, books, and Apps to assist in the learning process.”

Short Description from the Developer:Give Me 5 is a social skills learning app. It helps children learn about eight different sub-domains of social skills by answering questions about social situations seen in short video clips. The beautiful children in these videos are not actors, and represent kids with diverse abilities, some of whom are on the autism spectrum.

App Review:

I am always on the hunt for a good social skills app to use with the children that I work with and Give Me 5!!!! more than fits the bill! This app is very practical and user friendly. The app is designed in a game-like format that children can easily relate to and facilitates their engagement.

Let’s take a tour through the app to see how it works!

Start Screen:

The user can begin to play the game, choose to set up their profile or access the guide for detailed instructions on how to use the app.

Guide:

This is a screenshot of the easy to follow app instructions.

Profile Page:

The user sets up a profile page that includes their name and picture. They then select a virtual “friend” who will help them to play the game. Verbal praise is provided for correct responses and the user can record their own voice or use the prerecorded voice in the app.

Pachinko Game:

This is where the fun begins! The user taps the multi-colored disc which falls through the maze into one of the categories at the bottom. The disc is guided by the user by tilting the device. Extra points are given if the user can guide the disc to a slot that is highlighted.

Playing the Game:

The user watches a short video that depicts a common social situation and then responds to a question about what transpired in the video by selecting “yes” or ‘no”.

If they choose the correct answer, they receive verbal reinforcement and the commentator explains why the answer was correct.

If they make an incorrect choice, the user hears, “Almost, let’s try that again” and the video goes back into the queue for a future try.

Forty videos cover the following social skills sub domains:

Manners

Words

Without Words

Understanding Me

Understanding Others

Big Picture

People & Places

Calming Feelings

Successful completion of all eight categories results in fireworks and progression to the next level.

Overall Impressions:

This is one of the best social skills apps that I have used. In addition to being fun, children appear to make steady progress in their social skills. I have used it with several children that I work with over a three month period and their responses have been overwhelmingly positive. They appear to enjoy “playing the game” and seem to identify with the individuals and situations that are portrayed in the videos. If an incorrect answer is chosen, each child has been motivated to continue and get it right the next time. Seeing the social interaction, and hearing the explanation really seems to reinforce their understanding and learning.

I have been in touch with the developer regarding plans for this app and she has indicated to me that there are some in the works. The addition of multiuser profiles and being able to track user progress were going to be on my wish list but will be provided in a future update. Plans also include providing additional videos and apps to address the needs of both younger and older children. The Developmental Garden also offers a fun board game to develop social skills.

I highly recommend this app for teachers, therapists and parents who have children who struggle with understanding social skills.

To find out more about The Developmental Garden:

Giveaway:

We have two giveaways! The Developmental Garden has generously provided app codes and a Give Me 5!!!!! board game for a giveaway. For your chance to win, enter the Rafflecopters below:

Each new year brings out our resolve to get in shape! The decision is whether we can do it on our own or do we need to hire a trainer? Smarty Ears has taken this “resolution” to the SLP classroom with their newest app “Language Trainer.” It was created by a certified speech language pathologist to help users improve their spoken language skills. Language Trainer is designed to work on vocabulary, word finding, stuttering and receptive and/or expressive language skills. The app includes four different activities.

Language Trainer is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and requires iOS 5.0 or later. It is designed to be used with single users. The student set up is similar to other Smarty Ears apps. The student information is entered by tapping on “Add User” and entering their name and choosing a picture or avatar or by importing this information from the Therapy Report Center app.

During the set up process you will be asked to customize each user’s profile. This is done on the “Add New User” screen. Customization will allow you to set the following things; 1) How many items on a screen 2) Increase the difficulty level if successful 3) Date format 4)Modification of the database of images.

There are four different activities located in the app. The first activity is called “Picture Identification”. Students see anywhere from one to five images on the screen and they are expected to find the one that best represents the verbal prompt.

Picture Naming is the next activity. It provides the student the opportunity to verbal practice the item they see on the screen. Students record their response so their response can be replayed and a discussion can take place between the therapist and student to evaluate the response.

The third activity is titled Divergent Naming. This activity works on both categorization and expressive language. Students are present a prompt on the screen and expected to name items that fit into the category. They record their response and play the recording back to evaluate their responses and record the data. This is easily done by tapping on the green check mark or red x that is located directly under the prompt on the screen.

Last but not least is the Sentence Completion activity. This activity gives the student the opportunity to practice sentence production by completing the sentence prompt provide on the screen. Each sentence allows for multiple responses by the users. Like many of the other activities in Language Trainer, Sentence Completion has the ability to record the student’s response and play it back which provides the opportunity to work on self-monitoring skills at multiple skill levels.

You can choose to terminate an activity at any time. Once the activity has been terminated you will be able to access comprehensive reports in the “Report Center” section of the app. The following data is available: date of practice, activity, number of attempted targets, and percentage of accuracy. All data is shareable via many different options.

Smarty Ears has made the app extremely intuitive to use but just in case you have difficulty, they offer a comprehensive support section. It is located on the opening screen of the app and contains the following information; 1) Back-up to iTunes 2) Restore from iTunes 3) About the App 4) Contact Support 5) More Apps 6) Video Tutorial 7) Links to Smarty Ears social media sites.

Language Trainer is a great tool for educational speech language pathologists. It is perfect for the older students on your caseload. It is well worth the money you invest in it.

What I Like About the AppBuilt in data collection Compatible with Therapy Report Center Allows for note taking by the therapist in the Report Center Three of the four activities have a built record/playback feature App has an simple interface that provides lots of repetitions and has high quality data built in so it is perfect for RTI work.

What I Would Like to See In Future UpdatesUpdate the app occasionally so it stays fresh and new.

We have one copy of Language Trainer to give away. Please enter via the Rafflecopter below.

Support for Language Trainer and all Smarty Ears Apps can be found at:

Compatibility: Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. This app is optimized for iPhone 5.

Those of us that have been around for a while fondly remember one of the original video games called Simon. Erik Raj has taken this piece of pop culture, put a new spin on it and made an instant hit in the speech language programs around the world.

Listen Close is a breath of fresh air and perhaps a trip down memory lane for the SLP/parents. It isn’t your traditional articulation app; Listen Close is like no other articulation app. Initially you must choose which of seven phonemes you would like to work on and what position. The phonemes included are: S, Z, R, L, SH, CH, TH.

The app has a clean simple interface that is user friendly. Initially it requires that you chose the phoneme (S, Z, R, L, S/R/L Blends, SH, CH, or TH) and what position in words that it is going to be worked on (I require my students to do the set up so they know what phoneme and position is the focus of the therapy session). After these choices are made, the student is presented with a list of words. You can either hit “Play the Game Now” which will take you to the next screen or “Try New Words” which will give you a new set of four words.Once you have chosen your set of words, you will be presented with a screen containing four faces. The students are expected to “Listen Close” as the four faces say the targeted words. The user’s job is to imitate the words, using their best production of the speech sound, and tap the face that spoke.

When the user taps the correct face, another sequence containing the targeted words will begin. Each time the user correctly completes a sequence of words an additional word will be added to the next sequence. This makes the app more challenging and competitive for the user. When the user actually gets one of the sequences incorrect, the game ends and the app moves to the screen showing you “Your Score” and the “High Score” along with the targeted words.

On the opening screen of the app, you will find an “i” button located in the lower right hand corner. It contains an extremely inclusive description of the app and how to use it in speech sessions. In the lower left hand corner you will find a smiley face. Tapping the smiley face will provide you with information about the app developer Erik X. Raj.My students LOVED Listen Close. They were engaged for the entire session and had a significant number of repetitions. The majority of the kids were driven to try beat the High Score on the app. This app is an excellent change of pace in any speech language program.

What I Like About This AppLove the clean and simple interface in the app. Great change of pace for an articulation app. Contains common words that are in a kid’s vocabulary. Awesome auditory bombardment Fun Works on attention and memory skills.

What I Would Like To See In Future UpdatesI wish the app had built in data keeping instead of needing to take data on another device. I would like a way to speed up the rate the sequences are presented at.

If you LOVE “First Phrases” by Hamaguchi Apps you need to take a look at Fun with Verbs and Sentences. It came out last month and it is an excellent next step for the kids that have mastered phrases. Fun with Verbs and Sentences was developed for typically developing children between the ages of two to five. The app targets basic syntax skills through the use of two hundred sixty-six colorful animations that target thirty nine different verbs.

Adding users to Fun with Verbs is done in the same fashion as the other apps in the Hamaguchi Apps in the Speech, Language & Auditory Development family. Users are added individually but can be included in a group too. In addition to having individual and group users in the app, you also have the option of using the guest user profile.

Fun with Verbs is customizable to individual users. This is done by tapping on settings on the opening screen or tapping the settings cog in the upper right hand corner of set up screen. Here you are able to choose which activity you want to access, what type of sentence you will work on building, verbs and/or verb tenses to work on, how you would like to track progress while the game is being used, if cueing will be allowed and how frequently the reinforcement will be provided (Bubble Game).

Once you have the necessary customization set-up for your students, it is time to begin accessing the app. If you’ve chosen to access the Build a Sentence + Animation activity, you will be prompted to complete the following steps:Choose who will be completing the action, what action they will be doing, and finally they choose the object that goes with the action.As the students make each choice they are moved to bubbles on the bottom of the screen. When all the choices have been successfully made, the students are presented with a video of the sentence. When the animation is complete the app automatically advances to a recording page. Students are expected to record themselves saying what they have just built while watching an animation of their sentence on the screen. Students that are still developing the necessary skills may need to access the cueing available. This is done by tapping on the circles to see the pictures and tapping a second time to hear the verbally cueing.

Responses can be scored correct or incorrect by tapping on the appropriate circles on the left hand side of the screen. At the end of a session, you are able to view the data and print or email it out of the app.

The second activity is called Watch & Say (recording page only). This activity is similar to the Build a Sentence + Animation activity but does not have the user construct the sentence. It begins by showing the user a short animation, and then advances to the recording page. Where you will be asked to record themselves saying a sentence about the animation they just watched.. Students that are still developing the necessary skills may need to access the cueing available. This is done by tapping on the circles to see the pictures and tapping a second time to hear the verbally cueing. Responses can be scored correct or incorrect by tapping on the appropriate circles on the left hand side of the screen. At the end of a session you are able to view the data and print or email it out of the app.

Reinforcement is built into both activities in the app. The reinforcement is a game called Bubble Pop. Users choose one of ten common objects then the screen is filled with bubbles and the student must pop bubbles until they find the object they chose. How often the students have access to the Bubble Game can determined by accessing the settings portion of the app. The choices are; after every question, after 3 questions, after 5 questions, after 10 questions, or never.

What I Like About This AppThat it is highly customizable to meet a wide variety of students individual needs.
Nice set up from First Phrases
Animations are colorful and engaging
Great cueing available if needed by the student but still requires the student to do the work.
A lite version of the app is available for ninety nine cents.

What I Would Like to See in Future UpdatesContinue to update the app as it gets older. It is always nice to see old friends get a fresh new look as they age. This will continue to make them appealing to therapists and students.

Description

Christmas is a magical time. One of its important parts is decorating the Christmas Tree. Who of us adults does not remember how much fun it was? How much laughter? How many unforgettable memories?

Each house every year has its one and only and unique Christmas Tree. Each of us can give free rein to one’s imagination and create something totally unrepeatable. And this is what our application is all about.

Make your own unique Christmas Tree!

* 6 Christmas Trees to choose from * 16 drawers with ornaments grouped by themes, * ornaments are animated and emit sounds, * you can make baubles with photo of your Mum, friends, etc. * make your own Christmas Tree, take a photo of it, write the wishes, and sent an original Christmas card to your friends.

* SURPRISE! Since 1 December, every day you will find a present under your Christmas Tree!

FEATURES:

- Interactive, carefully conceived, captivating games

- Designed for Kids: No confusing menus or navigation. Bright, colorful, child-friendly design